Tyson Fury lifts lid on retirement
The Sportsman interviewed WBC World Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury about his retirement from boxing.'The Gypsy King' has left fight fans a little cynical after announcing his retirement from boxing on more than one occasion during the past few years. However, the 34-year-old from Morecombe has confirmed that he did spend a period of his life retired and revealed what it was like and why he chose to come back.
Here's what he had to say:
Tyson on retirement:
“100% I meant it. It's not that I’m more in love with boxing now, because I'm not in love with it. It's been a love-hate relationship ever since I’ve been a gym rat in Phoenix Camp in Moss Side and knocking shit over when I was training with my Dad. It was things like the amateurs, winning belts, dark times, coming back and then winning belts again. When is enough, enough?
“I said to myself when I was about 20, like when is enough, enough? I wanted to buy my own house, I wanted to be a multi-time world champion, I wanted to be undefeated and I wanted to beat good people. I've done all that. I thought that going out at Wembley in front of 90,000 people was good enough,
“I get home, I’m retired and I’m taking the kids to school, walking the dog, picking up dog sh*t, and I'm thinking like, I've traded being heavyweight champion of the world to picking up dog sh*t on the side of the road. Like, What the f*ck am I doing? I’m not built for normal life I don’t think. I don't think I can ever go back to that.
“It's like being a superstar DJ and then going ‘that's it now guys, thank you very much. I'm going to play at the leisure centre in Morecambe’. It's a big come down and it takes a lot of getting used to and I don't think I'm ready for that now and I don't know when I'm going to be ready.
“I don't know if I can ever be ready for retirement and this is the problem. Right now, I'm in a very big dilemma with boxing because I’m in my prime. I’m worn out basically, however, I’m still undefeated and still going. How long will this last? How long can I keep going for? And what happens when it’s not there any more? The answer to that question is that I don’t know and that's why I'm back.
“There were four months when I was actually retired and refused a lot of money to come back and stuff to do other fights and things. It was four months later and I had my little bit of being at home with the family, taking the kids to school and all that, and I was like what do I do? I'm getting up in the morning, I'm getting up at half past six, going to bed at 9pm, going to the gym twice a day, but I don't have a target to go to the gym for. I don't know.
“I definitely need a purpose and I don’t know what that’s going to be. Maybe I’ll go back to being a used car salesman and open myself a little pitch in Morecambe somewhere. Give myself a job so I can get up at 7am, go to the gym, come back and then go to work.
“Man has to work, no matter what he's doing in his life, no matter how much money he's got. If you win the Euromillions and then go and live on a beach in Barbados, then how long is that going to last? That’s impossible to do until you have £450 and become an alcoholic. I’ve seen the other side and the other side is just a load of sh*t, going out with a load of plastic w*nkers who want to get you in trouble and pull you down. I don't need that in my life.
“I can go to the pub and drink 10 pints of beer and act like a complete tosser, ballooning all over and trying to kick a taxi. I can do all that kind of sh*t. What good is that? I’d prefer to run up a mountain side than drink ten pints of beer. That’s the life I choose. I love being a fitness fanatic and I love being in the gym, but it’s costing me in the meantime. I’m training seven days a week, twice a day and in a week I’m fit and ready to rock and roll, but then I’ve got to do another eight weeks of it. I’m worn out and my brother Shane has already said that it’s going to cost me in the long run because I’m a lunatic and I can’t stop with boxing.
“I’ve got an addictive personality and I’m addicted to the endorphins you release from serotonin, which you release from the brain when you work out hard. It wears off around midday, so then I have to go back for a second hit, so basically I’m a junkie.”
Tyson on whether he will fight Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua next:
“I can’t physically get all these men to fight. If they’re there to fight next year, then game on, but if not, then I’ll fight whoever. I can go on a bum a month campaign, like Joe Louis did, and just fight 12 bums. Wherever it is. Give a guy in Italy a chance, like Apollo did in Rocky, and bring something back to the game.
“I’m sick to death of trying to make these fights happen. I’ve got to live my life and I’m not going to live my life for anybody else. If you see me fighting the local binman next then be happy for me because I’m in a happy place.”
SugarHill on how Fury wants to defeat Chisora:
“We’re always going for the knockout. We don’t like decisions. I don’t want to hear those score cards at all. I don’t care if the fighters have been knocked down every round, I still don’t want to hear those score cards. I always prefer a knockout and that’s always the 100% decisive way that you know you’ve won the fight.”
SugarHill on who Tyson should fight next:
“The perfect fight for Tyson Fury next would be any fight. Simple as that. It doesn’t matter who it is because Tyson wants to fight the best who's out there but it’s just best for Tyson Fury to fight. You can’t go chasing everybody else, you have to live your life.”
Fury vs Chisora fight preview, prediction and betting odds
